Food

Peach Dish is a meal delivery service that delivers fresh ingredients for Southern-themed meals to your home.

This service has been touted as a favorite by many people—and in this article, we’ll try to discover why this is so.

How Does Peach Dish Work?

Peach Dish, like other top meal delivery service in the industry, has a home website from which customers can order their meals.

A notable difference, however, is the fact that you do not have to register an account before you start ordering meals on the website. The guest ordering feature enables you to make a one-time order without having to commit to any plan.

This option is very convenient for anyone that might want to try out the service once to get a feel for what it is all about.

The ordering process on Peach Dish is quite simple and can be completed in just a matter of minutes.

To do this, go to the site and click on the prominent orange button found at the middle of the screen.

This order button will lead you on to a menu page that contains the meals that are available that day and the prices. Once you have browsed this page and have chosen a meal, add it to the cart and proceed to the next page. Note that you will need to have a minimum order of $45 before you can check out.

In that vein, it is also notable that Peach Dish has a marketplace tab that allows you to buy desserts and other add-ons that you may wish to include as part of your meal; this could be an easy way to meet that minimum.

On the next page, choose whether you are a new customer or you are returning customer.

Proceed to fill in the required details as prompted, including the delivery address. Once your order is completed, you can expect delivery the following week.

You will receive ingredients for two custom meals every week for the duration of the plan in you chose.

Additionally, if you commit to a subscription plan, you will be allowed to skip weeks with advance notice. This enables you to diversify your meal options and also avoid wastage should it happen that you are not available on a particular day, or go away on vacation.

Types of Meals Available

Peach Dish has a variety of meals available on its menu. Each week, the company has up to eight meal ingredients that a customer can choose from.

The menus are rotated each week to avoid repetition. I noticed, however, that some meals still largely remain similar to one another even after the exclusion and inclusion of one or two ingredients.

The meals are divided into two main categories:

1. There are meat and fish menus that are suited for non-vegetarians
2. The four remaining meal options are all vegetarian

Peach Dish is among very few meal kit delivery services that provide choices for vegetarians.

The recipes are delivered twice weekly as has been stated above; for each of these deliveries, you will get a personalized recipe guide on how to prepare the meal. The guide will include the name of the chef who designed your recipe.

This helps to reinforce the fact that Peach Dish utilizes real, professional chefs to serve you the best ingredients for your homemade meals.

Another thing that Peach Dish has over its competitors is a special marketplace for desserts on its website. This allows you to pick something sweet to wrap up your dinner with.

Pricing

Peach Dish has two plans on its website to choose from.

The first plan is for registered members, which requires an active subscription; the major advantage here is that you are not charged any delivery fees for your meals.

The other plan is for guest clients that are visiting the site for the first time and want to use the service without having to commit to any long-term arrangement.

This plan will subject you to a variable delivery fee depending on the state you live in.

Meals start from $25 for the 2-serving plans, and the prices range as high as $80 for the four-serving plans.

Because delivery is free for registered subscribers, the guest customer will end up paying more overall for their meal, as they have to pay the shipping fee.

And remember—in order to check out on Peach Dish, your order will need to total at least $45. For registered subscribers, you can cancel at any time, and there is the freedom of skipping weeks in between as well.

Additionally, there is the freedom to pick your meals or letting Peach Dish do this for you.

Company History

Peach Dish is an Atlanta-based, farm-fresh delivery company that was formed in 2013. In its six years of existence, the company has grown to be a leading meal delivery company.

Like most other services, Peach Dish uses professional chefs to curate recipes for easy-to-prepare meals at home—but this service really stands out thanks to their practice of including the name of the chef on each recipe, giving it a truly personal touch.

Alternatives

Here are a few other similar services:

• Green Chef was the first USDA certified meal kit delivery company in the USA.
• Home Chef is a meal delivery company that offers you up to $30 off on your first order.
• Sun Basket is a monthly, fresh, organic meal delivery company based in Chicago.

Pros

• Order as a guest – Allows you to order meals as a guest without any long-term commitments.
• Free delivery – The company offers free deliveries to subscribed customers.
• Professional chefs – The recipes are carefully curated using expert chefs whose names are written directly on the recipes themselves.

Cons

• High fees – The guest ordering option charges high fees.

Peach Dish Review Final Thoughts

Peach Dish employs the service of experts in its curation and creation of recipes for their customers.

Their free delivery service for subscribed customers helps cut down on extra costs significantly.

Martha Stewart has teamed up with Marley Spoon to produce a range of meal kits.

We like this idea because we like tasting new and exciting cuisine…but the prices are a little higher than other kits we’ve reviewed.

Do these kits live up to the hype? In this review, we’ll give you the lowdown.

How Does Marley Spoon Work?

Choose your plan. The meals are either portioned for two people or a family of four, and the minimum order is four portions per box.

You select the day that you want to receive the delivery, choose the meals you’re interested in, and go from there.

The box will be delivered on the day you’ve selected. It’s completely insulated to ensure that the ingredients stay fresh and don’t spoil, and if there is meat or fish inside, an ice pack will also be included to keep it safe.

The ingredients are selected for their freshness and taste, and chosen when they are in season so that the flavor is always at its best.

You’ll receive great-tasting meat; where possible, grass-fed and organic. And organic produce will be used whenever it is available.

You’ll also receive interesting foodie products to use while cooking. These might be artisanal vinegar, flavored oils, and so on. If the company comes across something that tastes great, they’ll look for a way to incorporate it.

You’ll get enough of each item to create the meal, so there’s very little waste.

Each ingredient is packed according to the meal it’s for and portioned correctly. There’s no measuring or weighing of ingredients at all.

You will need to have some grocery cupboard staples on hand, like cooking oil, salt, and pepper, as these will not be included.

Like all meal kit delivery services, the box will come with all the ingredients necessary for the meal, and a beautifully illustrated recipe card will accompany them so that you’ll be able to see whether or not your effort looks anything like the real deal.

In terms of subscription options, the company is pretty flexible. You’ll need to give them about a week’s notice before your next delivery if you want to change anything or suspend the service.

They’re pretty laid back with this, though.

Choose a schedule that works for you, opt for deliveries on alternate weeks, or change up the number of meals and quantity in each meal.

Types of Meals Available

There are 18,000 different recipes to draw from. What you get will depend on what produce is in season at the time.

The meals range from simple to full-on, Martha Stewart “WOW!” meals.

These meals work well for serious gourmands, but they can accommodate busy parents as well. If you prefer to spend a minimum amount of time in the kitchen, however, consider looking at something else.

But if you need to whip up a romantic dinner for date night, Marley Spoon should work well.

At present, the company only offers dinners, but they’re looking into providing lunches and dessert as well.

There are vegetarian options available, but you can’t opt for specialist meals all of the time.

From time to time, the company will send out a gluten-free meal, or something based on keto, low-fat, and so on.

They are quick to point out that they don’t have the facilities available to allow them to do this all the time, though.

They also state outright that there is the possibility of allergens in the dishes; this is pretty standard in this industry, though.

Pricing

There are two options available to you – two-portion meals and family meals.

No matter which option is chosen, each box must contain a minimum of four portions.

Two-Portion Meals

These start at $12 per portion so you can expect to pay at least $48 per week.

The more meals you order, the lower the cost per meal. Save $1.75 per portion by ordering three meals a week; your total cost would be $61.50.

The best deal is for four meals per week at just $9.50 per portion.

In this scenario, your total cost per week would be $76.

Family Meals

These are suitable for two adults and two children. These start at $9.50 per portion, so you can expect to pay at least $76 per week.

Again, the more meals you order, the lower the cost per meal. Save $0.60 per portion by ordering three meals a week; your total cost would be $106.80.

The best deal is for four meals per week, however, at $8.20 per portion.

Your total cost per week would be $131.20.

Company History

Marley Spoon started in Germany in 2014, and it’s since expanded operations to the United States, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria.

In the States, the company has partnered up with Martha Stewart.

That was three years ago, and she’s been putting her unique spin on things ever since.

Alternatives

As the demand grows more top meal kit options have as well. A few alternatives to Marley Spoon include:

• Farm Fresh to You: This site provides seasonal, organic fruit and veggies.
• Green Chef: If you’re following a specialist eating plan, like Keto, this is the site for you.
• HelloFresh: Looking for something simpler and cheaper? Hello Fresh might be the answer.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Great range of choice
• Good for more adventurous cooks
• Simple meals with outstanding ingredients
• Flexible plan structure
• Plan meals up to two months ahead of time
• Good for more advanced cooks as well
• Delicious, well-balanced recipes
• Meal ingredients perfectly portioned; very little waste
• Printed recipe cards you can keep

Cons

• It can be pricey for a larger family
• Customer service leaves something to be desired
• Be prepared to put some effort into cooking

Martha and Marley Spoon Review Final Thoughts

With a Marley Spoon subscription, it’s easy enough to customize what you’ll be receiving, and there is more than enough variety for even the fussiest gourmand.

If you like spending a bit more time in the kitchen, this service might well suit you.

The recipes go beyond simple; you can use them for cooking up some elegant dinners to impress.

The meals make use of artisanal ingredients to ramp up the flavor factor.

Hungryroot is is a subscription-based healthy meal kit delivery service that sends a box of plant-based food ingredients to your door once every week.

The contents of the box are customized to your dietary preferences.

Included in the box are the ingredients themselves and a recipe book with suggested pairings. And best of all—every meal takes under 10 minutes to make.

Now that’s a real game-changer in my book.

How Does Hungryroot Work?

To begin the sign-up process, go to Hungryroot’s website and register; you can then move on to your meal selection and ordering from different plans.

Looking at the meal plan options, you will see they are based primarily on the size of your family or the amount of food you would like to receive each week.

But apart from the quantity and prices, I didn’t see many differences or variations between the available plans.

After creating your account and choosing your plan, there are options to customize your meals based on your dietary preferences.

You can also let their software auto-generate your meal selection for that week, with the opportunity to change meal items, as long as you do it the Wednesday before your box is due for delivery.

You also have the option to skip weeks, which is convenient for people who often travel.

The Hungryroot box is delivered to your doorstep with a recipe book on how to prepare the different meals included.

Because all of the ingredients included in the boxes are exclusively preservative-free, you need to be at home for delivery.

But don’t worry—the boxes are lined with ice packs to keep everything fresh during shipping.

Types of Meals Available

The Hungryroot meal ingredients box contains plant-based sauces, batters, doughs, grains, pasta, and fresh-cut fruit and vegetable ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes.

To deliver on their healthy food promise, Hungryroot also offers meal options for people who maintain gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free diets.

There are also healthy snack and side-dish options available.

The meals are packed full of healthy fats, vitamins, complex carbohydrates, minerals, and fiber, with no bad carbs or preservatives.

And better yet, there really isn’t much cooking involved—all you have to do is combine the ingredients and heat them up. Some of the items can even be eaten straight out of the box.

Pricing

The HungryRoot plans and pricing are as follows;

• The Starter Plan ($55.20 first box, then $69 weekly) – Ideal for individuals, this plan includes 3 or 4 meals and a choice of snacks, desserts, or grab-and-go breakfasts. The meals serve two.
• The Good Life Plan ($80 first box, then $99 weekly)- Ideal for couples, this plan offers 5 to six meals, plus again any one of snacks, desserts, or sweets. The meals serve two people.
• The Family Plan ($103.20 first box, then $129 weekly)- Designed for families, here you get 7 or 8 meals, with a choice of snacks, grab-and-go breakfasts, or desserts.

Company History

One of Hungryroot’s taglines is “We make healthy eating easy,” and they certainly do so.

Ben McKean, founder of this wholesome service, came up with the idea for Hungryroot when found himself waiting in line at the market without a clue what he was going to do with the ingredients in his cart, and wondering why it was so difficult to eat healthily.

Founded in 2015, this New York-based company prides itself on providing fresh, nutrient-rich foods for healthier eating…all delivered right to your door.

Alternatives

There are quite a few meal kit options to consider should you feel that HungryRoot isn’t quite what you are looking for.

We’ve done our homework, and have decided that the top picks from those are:

• Marley Spoon: Prepares healthy and tasty meals using fresh ingredients from trusted suppliers
• Plated: Delivers chef-curated and designed recipes, along with carefully measured ingredients for your dinner each week.
• Gobble: Delivers dinner from a diverse menu of meals right to your doorstep, all prepared from fresh ingredients by professional chefs.

Pros

• Convenience: Packages are mostly delivered with everything needed nicely tucked in the recyclable boxes that come complete with ice packs.
• Quick: Meals take under 10 minutes to prepare. And we avoid the word ‘cook’ as there isn’t much cooking involved.
• Quality: The food is delivered fresh, the packaging is safe, the meals are tasty and healthy, and the ingredients arrive properly cooled thanks to the included ice packs.
• Value: If you’re wondering if the service is cheaper than shopping and cooking yourself, then the answer is no. But the service’s value depends on how much you need the convenience. A lot of people seem to feel the meal plans are on the expensive side. And while I love quick and easy, I would have to agree.

Cons

• Lack of Flavor: One thing we have picked up ourselves and which quite a few people have mentioned is that some of the meals don’t have much in the way of flavor. We are guessing that it is a little challenging to deliver with plant-centric meals.
• Too Much Vinegar: HungryRoot could also ease up with the vinegar in some of their dishes. Many people might love a dash or two of vinegar in their food, but it seems to me that all of the bean salads are drenched in vinegar with HungryRoot.
• Complicated Website: Hungryroot’s site is difficult to navigate, especially when you just want to check their plans and meal options to decide whether you should sign up. This could deter anyone that isn’t very tech-savvy.

Our overall advice would be to give HungryRoot a try.

Like all top meal kit services, you can cancel your subscription anytime, so there isn’t much risk to it.

And who knows—maybe you’ll become a true believer in the vegetarian way!

Home Chef is yet another entry in the meal kit service roster; meals start at $7.99 per serving, depending on what you’re eating.

But unlike many other services of this nature, you can choose meals according to special dietary requirements.

The service also offers breakfasts, smoothies, and lunch.

It certainly seems to be an innovative company, and that bodes well for clients. Does it measure up in terms of service, though?

Let’s check it out more thoroughly in this review.

How Does Home Chef Work?

All you need to do is to enter your zip code; the service does not deliver to the whole country yet, but it delivers to a lot of it. Once you’ve checked that they cover your area, it’s time to make your choices.

Next up, fill in your preferences to let Home Chef know what meals you like. This step is where you can choose low-carb meals, no soy meals, and so on.

Another aspect of this service that is slightly different is that you’ll receive an email on Monday, detailing your choices for the week. You’ll get fifteen options to choose from, so there is bound to be something for everyone.

The company also offers a “Customize It” option. With this option, you’re able to swap out the protein in some recipes, or even double it if you prefer. You have to make sure that you reply to the email by Friday of the same week, though.

From there on, sit back and wait for the kit to be delivered.

The box contains fresh ingredients, comprehensive recipe cards, and whatever you need to make the recipe. You’re expected to have some basics at home, like oil and basic seasonings. Everything else is provided, though.

Each ingredient is packed and clearly labeled so you can sort the recipe easily. The veggies are prepped already to save you time, and all of the packaging is recyclable.

The box itself is lined with biodegradable fibers and is insulated; ice packs keep the food fresh.

The recipes are easy to follow with step-by-step instructions, and the chefs include their cooking tips along the way. You’ll not only learn to make the recipe but also improve your overall culinary skills.

If you need to cancel or skip a particular week, that’s no problem. You do have to make sure that you cancel by noon on the Friday before your delivery is scheduled.

If you do so, there are no charges or penalties to pay, and you can resume the service any time you like.

Types of Meals Available

You’ll start by creating a dietary profile.

Choose between:

• Omnivore
• Seafood
• Meat
• Pescatarian
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

You’ll also be asked to list your preferences or special dietary requirements, such as:

• Ingredients you don’t want
• Whether you want low-carb or low-calorie meals
• If you require dairy-free meals
• Other preferences like avoiding gluten

You have a choice between premium meals and standard meals.

The premium meals contain more high-value, specialist foods, and if a meal is marked in orange, you can change the protein or increase the quantity of protein.

Home Chef also offers five-minute lunches, which arrive ready to eat, and are excellent for grabbing on your way out of the door.

In addition, you’re able to add a fruit basket or smoothie if you like. This is one of the other things that sets this service apart among the best meal delivery services.

Pricing

The pricing depends on the meal type. You must order a minimum of two servings.

The company incentivizes ordering more by paying the shipping on orders over $45. Orders under that amount incur a standard shipping charge of $10 a box.

The fees are as follows:

• The Standard Meals: $19.90 for two servings or $38.80 for four servings.
• The 5-Minute Lunch Meals: $15.98 for two servings or $3.96 for four servings.
• The Smoothies: $9.90 for two servings or $19.80 for four servings.
• The Fruit Baskets: $9.90 for two servings or $19.80 for four servings.
• Premium Meal: The prices vary and are market-related.

Company History

The company was started in 2013. The founder, Pat, wanted to provide a healthy alternative to takeout.

The idea was to provide an easy alternative for busy people who didn’t always have time to shop.

The company has expanded to cover 97% of the American population and produces millions of meals a month.

Some of the product line can also be found in grocery stores.

Alternatives

• Daily Harvest: Focuses completely on health foods and offers single-serving sizes.
• Sunbasket: Offers paleo and clean alternatives as well as the normal fare.
• Veestro: Offers a selection of plant-based meals and an a la carte menu.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Tasty meals with simple recipes that are easy to prepare
• Convenient
• Lunches available as well
• You can opt to add a fruit basket
• A lot of customization is allowed
• Low-carb and low-calorie options are available
• Pick all of your meals
• Easy to cancel your subscription or suspend deliveries for a while if you like or skip a week if you don’t like the meals for that week
• The portions are reasonably sized
• The ingredients are prepped and sorted by recipe
• Free shipping for orders over $45
• You can find the product line in grocery stores if you’d like to try it out first
• Delivers to 97% of the United States

Cons

• Premium meals can be on the expensive side
• The standard meals are not badly priced, but the others are a little on the high side
• A seasoned chef might find the selection boring

Home Chef Review Final Thoughts

The meals offered through Home Chef are relatively simple, and if you’re a top-notch cook, you’d probably find them a little boring.

For most people, though, there is enough of a creative twist to make the meals interesting.

Pricewise, it’s about average for meal kit delivery services. The advantage of having the proportioned recipes is that you don’t waste ingredients.

HelloFresh claims to offer affordable meal plans that are tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare.

But do they live up to these claims?

In this review, we’ll check that out.

How Does HelloFresh Work?

It’s simple enough. You sign up and choose the menus you want to try that week.

The recipes are designed by professional chefs to be big on flavor, and they’re relatively easy to prepare for the beginner cook.

None of the recipes should take longer than 30 minutes, and you can choose between three different plans:

• Meat and veggies: This option gives you the broadest range of choice. Choose meals for a couple or a family of four; for the four-meal plan, you get three meals per week. For the couple’s plan, choose two, three, or four meals a week.
• Veggies: This meal plan is designed for vegetarians. You won’t get meat, but HelloFresh is careful to supplement with healthy, plant-based proteins. The rest of the meal is filled in with seasonal veggies and grains.
• Family-Friendly: This package is designed to feed four people. The company has taken care to choose recipes that kids will love, too. With this box, you get to pick whether you want two or three meals a week.
• Calorie-Smart: This menu provides you with meals that are lower in calories, and is perfect for those wanting to lose weight.

You can skip a week or cancel anytime. Simply give the company five days’ notice before the next delivery. You’re also able to adjust your order up or down with the same amount of notice.

Types of Meals Available

The meals range from full vegetarian to steak, and are relatively simple to prepare; they also include more upscale options—like craft burgers—instead of the standard fare.

You’ll get the basic recipe cards, and even a few add-ins, like tips on how to cook the perfect steak. The meals are also planned around seasonal produce to ensure that you always get the freshest options.

This meal plan is probably not going to suit you if you’re a real foodie.

If you’re already a great cook, we’d recommend looking into one of the other top meal services.

But if you don’t know much about cooking, this plan is for you.

Pricing

The price depends on the plan you choose:

Meat and Veggies

For two people, you’ll pay $8.99 per serving + $6.99 shipping:

• Two servings a week will cost $42.95
• Three servings a week will cost $60.93
• Four servings a week will cost $78.91

For four people, you only have the option of two or three servings a week.

You’ll pay a base rate of $8.99 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

• Two servings a week will cost $78.91
• Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Veggies

The veggies plan only allows two or three meals a week.

For two people, you’ll pay $9.99 per serving + $7.99 shipping. Opting for three servings reduces these prices:

• Two servings a week will cost $47.95
• Three servings a week will cost $60.93

Again, for four people, you only have the option of two or three servings a week.

Like the Meat and Veggie option, you’ll pay a base rate of $8.99 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

• Two servings a week will cost $78.91
• Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Family-Friendly

This plan only offers a four-person option of two or three servings a week.

You’ll pay a base rate of $7.87 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

• Two servings a week will cost $62.96
• Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Calorie-Smart

Here you can choose between two or three meals a week.

For two people, you’ll pay $8.99 per serving + $7.99 shipping:

• Two servings a week will cost $43.95
• Three servings a week will cost $60.93 (save a dollar in shipping here)

For four people, you only have the option of two or three servings a week.

You’ll pay a base rate of $8.99 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

• Two servings a week will cost $78.91
• Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Company History

HelloFresh is headquartered in Germany and was started in 2011.

The founders believed that everyone deserved the opportunity to learn how to cook delicious food in an affordable, convenient, and healthy manner.

Alternatives

• Chef’s Plate: Simple recipes that take under half an hour to prepare.
• Hungryroot: Bases its meals on nutrient-dense, fresh fruit and veggies.
• Peach Dish: Tasty meals sourced sustainably.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Straightforward instructions. Even if you’ve never cooked a thing in your life, the step-by-step instructions make it easy. Each recipe is graded by difficulty so you can advance in skill as you learn more.
• You can exclude certain ingredients. That said, as with all food prep companies, there is a chance of cross-contamination of allergens.
• They do allow you to choose low-carb meals.
• It’s unusual for a meal kit company to allow you to choose all of your meals—HelloFresh does this.
• There’s a lot of variety—you can choose from 16 different meals.
• Very convenient.
• Tasty, healthy recipes.

Cons

• Could be expensive for a bigger family.
• The portion sizes are adequate, but not generous.
• You’ll have to chop and prep the veggies yourself.
• You have to order at least two servings at a time.

HelloFresh Review Final Thoughts

Meal kit services seem to have sprung up all over the place, and there’s clearly a call for this convenient option.

Not only does it save you a trip to the grocery store, but it also makes it easier to decide what to cook.

HelloFresh food delivery service delivers your food perfectly portioned, so there’s no waste. Note that while you’ll save some time by having the ingredients delivered, there are no exotic meals to try here.

Everything is explained step by step, and the recipes are almost foolproof.